Apology Accepted
by thefinalfritter
Summary: Hermione is annoyed with Snape when he won't admit she was right. Will she get him to apologize? Short slight HGSS implied.


Hermione rolled her eyes without looking up from her book as the irritated figure next to her sighed loudly, trying to interrupt her reading. She firmly ignored him and continued reading about the long-term affects of ingesting potions containing wolfsbane. It was actually a fairly interesting read and thankfully didn't take too much concentration to follow, considering the loudly breathing distraction she had sitting near her side.

He sighed again loudly, determined to illustrate his annoyance. Again, she did nothing but ignore him, and flipped the page idly and continued to read. She knew he was absolutely fuming; she had been ignoring him steadily for the past three days.

Oh, she knew what he wanted, but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of an easy way out after what he had done to her. She entertained the thought of letting the whole subject drop and ending the thick tension that was hanging over them, but all in all, she decided she was simply having too much fun irritating him beyond all reason. Severus Snape was going to have to squash enough pride to apologize before she responded to him again.

It had all started last week, when Hermione had made her biweekly trip down to the dungeons to continue their research on the Cruciatus after-effects cure that had long been sought out by the wizarding community but never developed.

She had entered his dungeon laboratory to find him waiting with two cauldrons already set up and a table full of potential catalyst ingredients lined up available on a nearby table. She had been excited to think they were almost close enough to finding the cure. The week before they had come very close to a potentially correct formula but they had both been disappointed when the spider they were testing on became three times its size, and no matter how hard they had tried to shrink it, the creature wouldn't return to its original state.

This time, though, Hermione had an idea that had been festering in the back of her mind since the spider-enlarging incident. It was an idea she had wanted to try so very badly. But even though Snape and she had become relatively relaxed lab partners, he had been very adamant that she was wrong when she had approached him on the potential idea of adding lacewing flies to the list of ingredients.

"Absolutely not, Miss Granger," he sneered, his tone brooking no argument.

Not taking the hint she replied, "But why not? You know lacewing flies would counter the enlarging tendencies of the potion, not to mention the advanced restorative affect that they would apply."

The glare she had gotten had been icy, though she suspected it had more to do with the fact he hadn't thought of it himself, rather than that she was wrong. "Miss Granger, I have been a Potions Master for most of my life and once spent a whole summer researching the magical properties of lacewing flies in various potions. I can completely assure you that using them would be a complete waste of the evening." And with that he had swept off to grab a vial of powdered unicorn horn and began measuring a sizeable amount to add into his cauldron.

Hermione harrumphed at his stubbornness, but chose to ignore it and instead spent the better part of the night until past midnight exhausting nearly every catalyst on the table. Sometimes the spider would enlarge again, or turn blue, or tap dance uncontrollably, or even die in excruciating pain but they couldn't find the one catalyst that would work.

Sometime late in the night, Snape had seemed to give up, his eyes half-weary in exhaustion and suggested she head to bed as the experiment wasn't likely to go anywhere at that point. "I just want to try one more thing, Professor," she replied softly appealing to his weary state.

"Alright," he agreed. "I will begin cleaning up the room before classes tomorrow."

Hermione had felt only a small degree of guilt at taking advantage of Snape while he was tired and distracted but he _hadn't_ noticed the small jar of lacewing flies she had nicked from the shelf when he hadn't been looking. She had waited until her potion was bubbling strongly in the desired shade of yellow before dumping the jar in. Her breath was caught in her throat as she ticked off the seconds and nothing happened. No explosions; no powerful steam; nothing.

Snape, who had finished cleaning came up unexpectedly behind her and startled her with his voice near her ear.

"Did it work?" he growled softly, obviously not taking note of what it was she had tried.

She wasn't quite able to think clearly with his voice vibrating in her ear like that. "I-I don't know. I haven't tested it yet," she replied nervously. If this potion could work…

"Well? What are you waiting for?" he asked sharply, raising an eyebrow, snapping out of his detached state.

Startling at his sudden harshness, she had fumbled for a ladle and prepared the potion for the next spider victim. Snape cast the cruciatus curse, because he was always the one who did, and Hermione quickly administered the antidote to the spider.

Immediately the spider stopped writhing in pain but he didn't turn blue, or grow, or sprout wings or anything. Hermione couldn't help but stare at Snape, her breathing stopped completely.

"Is it dead?" she managed to whisper, because the spider wasn't moving. Snape poked his wand at the spider, who scurried away as fast as it could.

Hermione and Snape had looked at each other for a long time, neither daring to speak. She was becoming quickly overwhelmed with the euphoria of the situation in that they had finally succeeded and she had been worried she might do something drastic until Snape spoke.

"Cast it on me," he said.

"What!" she asked, disbelievingly.

"The Cruciatus Curse, cast it on me."

"I most certainly will not!" she replied indignantly. "Why on Earth would I do something like that?"

"Well, how else do you think we are going to know if its worked?" he snapped.

"Of course it worked. You saw the spider, he was perfectly fine."

"Or just fine enough not to writhe uncontrollably."

"There is no absolutely no way I am casting an unforgivable curse on you and that is final," she replied folded her arms at her chest.

"Fine," he added caustically. "I'll just call a house-elf down here to cast it on me instead." He pointed his wand at the fireplace and opened his mouth to speak.

"No, wait," she said urgently putting a hand on his arm in an effort to lower it down. "I'll cast it as long as…well…are you sure?"

"Miss Granger, I am rapidly losing my patience. I have had the cruciatus curse cast on me no less than one hundred and forty six times. If you haven't the _courage_ to cast it on me I would be more than glad to get Blinky or Winky or Dinky or whomever, to do it for you."

She sighed impatiently. "Fine, I will do it, so long as you don't use it against me later."

"Fine," was his only response.

Having nothing else to say she raised her wand and spoke. "Crucio." She immediately regretted it. She had never seen Snape's face lose his unwavering control and contort into a horrible expression of unbearable pain. He was doing his best not to scream out and that she was thankful for. She hadn't even put her heart behind the curse and she couldn't imagine what torture sessions at a Dark Lord's gathering must be like.

Quickly, she ladled up the antidote and force fed it down Snape's throat. After only a few seconds, he stopped shaking and slowly drew himself off the floor and to full height. She met his eyes, searching, for any kind of response from him.

"Did it work?" she asked unsure, nervous at his lack of expression.

When he still didn't respond she muttered, "Severus?" in concern and stepped closer to him, fully intending to make sure he was okay. How his lips ended up on hers, she wasn't entirely sure.

After the shock wore off she found the need to make a coherant reply. "Severus, you're crushing me," she said breathlessly as he eased up and stepped back just a little, though his arms were still wrapped around her. "I'll take that as a yes, then," she stammered, unsure what to say at that point.

He leaned down to kiss her again, removing all rational thought from her brain, so she returned it firmly.

"Professor Granger?" he murmered into her mouth.

"Mmmm?"

"What did you add to the potion that made it work?" he asked.

She hesitated a little at that and pulled back. "That doesn't really matter does it?" she tried to ask convincingly and distract him with another kiss, but it was his turn to pull away.

"What do you mean it doesn't really matter? Of course it matters!"

"Can't we just forget about it until the morning?"

"No, " he said firmly and stare at her suspiciously "What did you add?"

"Oh, erm, lacewing flies?" she said hesitantly but determined to show the Gryffindor courage he had only a few moments ago accused her of lacking.

"What?" he asked slowly, his tone becoming cold. When she didn't reply he continued. "I thought I told you not to use them." It wasn't a question and his eyebrows narrowed menacingly.

"Well, I thought they might work, and it was the only thing we hadn't tried and…"  
"So you just went ahead and used them!" he berated. "I can not believe your impertinance, Miss Granger!"

"Hey!" she yelled back angrily. "It worked didn't it? I don't see what you're so mad about!"

"I am mad, Miss Granger," he spat, "because you don't even have the _decency_ to respect my wishes in my own potions laboratory!" His voiced raised as he spoke.

He cheeks flushed with indignation. "Oh please," she muttered. "You and I both know you are just mad because you didn't think of it first and _I _was right and you weren't."

"I--! I can't even--! Why you--!" Snape couldn't even formulate the words because he was so angry and Hermione guessed she must have touched a sore spot.

When he wouldn't apologize she simply left the room knowing he would have to admit she was right sometime and went to bed.

The next day she had reappeared in his dungeons and when he refused to speak on the subject she had grabbed a potions journal off his bookshelf and settled herself down to read. That had irritated him to no end as she knew it would but he had let the matter drop and let her stay until she voluntarily got up and left for dinner.

She had returned again the next day, and had spent the day brewing potions (the most foul-smelling ones she could think of), to help replenish some of Madam Pomfrey's stores.

And so here she was today, reading yet again, with Severus Snape obviously very irritated by her presence. She heard a low warning growl escape from his throat as if her ignoring him this time were to be the last straw and she merely flicked her wand in response, sending a throat-clearing potion his way.

His self-control broken, he got up and stormed to the door of his office, opened it, and slammed it behind him causing the wall to shake. Hermione rolled her eyes and set down her book, and decided maybe now she had annoyed him enough and could get him to apologize for being so arrogant.

She had about as much chance as getting Harry or Ron to read Hogwarts, A History, but anything was worth a shot. She conjured up another wooden chair and sent it hurtling at the wall of his office, causing a huge crash she would have been surprised if Dumbledore couldn't hear and creating a humongous dent in the wall. It wasn't anything a good reparo couldn't fix.

The office door swung open so fast she barely had time to register.

"What was that?" Snape yelled menacingly.

"What was what?" she replied with a look of innocence Ginny Weasley would have been proud of.

"Oh, I don't know, perhaps this giant DENT in my wall!"

"I don't see any dent…" she said squinting.

"You know this big one? Right here!" he said framing his arms dramatically around the gaping imprint.

"Oh, _that_ one. Maybe you put it there when you slammed the door."

"I didn't slam the door!"

"You didn't?"

"No!"

"Oh."

"Miss Granger…" he growled dangerously.

"So are you mad?" she replied indifferently.

"Of course I am mad, you stupid woman!"

"About the potion?"

"No! I'm mad because you sent a chair hurtling into my wall!"

"I didn't send a chair hurtling into your wall." She to look impassive but she couldn't help but set her gaze on the splintered pieces of wood lying on the floor under the wall.

"Oh, you didn't?"

"Nope." A pause. "So, I guess you must be mad about the potion then."

"Miss Granger…," he said pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Just admit you are mad because I was right and you were wrong."

"I am not mad!"

"Well then why don't you come sit down and have a cup of tea with me while we discuss the magical properties of umm...I don't know... lacewing flies?"

The look on his face was mutinous. "Miss Granger...I will not have you destroying my things because you are wanting of some childish apology!"

"I didn't destroy anything," she calmly replied.

"Well, what happened then, if you are such a know-it-all, Miss Granger?" he asked icily.

"Well, I suppose, _Severus_, if you didn't slam the door and I didn't slam the wall with a chair, and nobody's mad at anybody, then nothing happened and you were going to apologize about the potion so we could officially present it to the wizarding community." She flashed him her best grin.

"I can't believe you." he hissed.

Just then, a knock on the door made them both look up.

"Enter!" Snape snapped angrily.

The door opened slowly and a friendly bearded face peered in the door. "Oh, hello Severus, Miss Granger. I just thought I would come down and check to see what that awful banging noise I heard was."

Oh hello, Headmaster," Hermione interrupted cheerfully before Snape had a chance to speak. "That banging noise was only Severus telling me how much he appreciates me for being an intelligent _individual_ who might have different, better ideas then him from time to time. Isn't that right, Severus? " She pointedly avoided Snape's glare.

Dumbledore seemed confused momentarily. "So, am I correct in assuming you are saying, the noise I heard from clear in my tower was nothing more than Severus's apprecation for you, Miss Granger?"

"Apparantely so, sir."

"Oh," Dumbledore replied looking amused. "Well, I'm sorry to have interrupted such an intense appreciation. I'll just excuse myself then." He winked at Snape and shut the door behind him.

"Oh _thank _you, Professor Granger. Now I will have to endure half-witted jokes regarding my methods of _appreciation_ during dinner tonight."

Much to Snape's chagrin, Hermione uttered only two words in response before practically skipping smugly out of the dungeon.

"Apology accepted."


End file.
